SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Not all viruses are bad, and one in particular may have the power to stop cancer. Researchers at the University of California-San Diego are studying how a plant virus called cowpea mosaic virus stops cancer and prevents it from coming back. Their latest research shows that when the virus infects cancerous cells, it signals to the immune system and extends the anti-cancer response toward the tumor.
Cowpea mosaic virus is an infectious plant virus that commonly targets legumes. For the past seven years, however, study authors have been using animal models to determine its potential as a cancer immunotherapy treatment.
“This study helps validate the cowpea mosaic plant virus nanoparticle as our lead cancer immunotherapy candidate,” Nicole Steinmetz, a professor of nanoengineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and the director of the Center for NanoImmunoEngineering, in a university release. “Now we have mechanistic data to explain why it is the most potent candidate, which further de-risks it for clinical translation.”
www.studyfinds.org/plant-virus-may-cure-cancer/